lougheed



.(No Model.) '2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. LOUGHEED. GAR COUPLING.

No. 433,797. Patented Aug. 5, 1890.

I %;/ENTOH I BY g A TTOHNE rs (No Model.)

A. LOUGHEED. UAR COUPLING.

Patented Aug. 5, 1890. 1 .4

2 -Sh ets--Sheet 2.

JIL

A TTOHNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

AARON LOUGHEED, OF PORT ARTHUR, ONTARIO, CANADA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,797, dated August 5, 1890.

Application filed January 4, 1890. Serial No. 335,857. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, AARON LOUGHEED, of Port Arthur, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented 'a new and Improved Oar-Oouplin g, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in car-couplings; and the object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable, cheap, and efficient car-coupling that may be Operated from the sides or top of the car, that will work in any climate, that will not easily get out of repair, that may be applied to all styles of cars, and will couple cars of different heights that use a link in coupling.

To this end my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts that will be hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the car-couplings, showing the position of the parts when the car is uncoupled. Fig. 2 is a detailed end View of the slide-rod and sleeve that is placed in a horizontal position within the coupler. Fig. 3 is a detailed View showing the manner in which the main spring is attached to one of the arms of the operating-lever. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the car-coupler, showing the position of the parts when the car is coupled; and Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section of the same on the line :10 w of Fig. 4.

The draw-head A is attached to the car bottomin the usual manner, is provided with a rectangular recess B, which may extend throughout its entire length, with a flaring mouth 0 to'receive the link of another coupler, and with a vertical tubular pin-aperture D near its mouth, which aperture extends from top to bottom of the coupler, and through a projection D on the bottom of the draw-head, and in which moves the coupling-pin E, said aperture D being closed at the top by a removable cover a, to prevent snow and ice from accumulating in the aperture and clogging the same. This construction provides for forcing the pin E from the aperture D in case it should be bent and stuck therein.

A guide-rod F is pivoted at its upper end between the flanges A, extending from the projection D to the frame A, just below the mouth 0 by the pin 6, and extends outwardly and downwardly at about the same angle as the lower side of the mouth 0, in which position it is held when the car is uncoupled by the spring d, which is held at one end in a pocket 6 upon the inner side of the rod F, and which extends through slots f in the projection D and across the aperture D, below the pin E, which rests upon it, and thereby holds the rod F in position, so that if alower car is to be coupled with a higher one the link of the lower car will strike the guiderod F and be guided thereby into the mouth 0 of the coupling. The slots f in projection D extend to the bottom of the draw-head to receive the free end of the spring at and the end of the arm Z of a forked lever H, pivoted between ears A on the bottom of the drawhead. The pin E is tapering at its lower end, which is provided with a horizontal slot g to receive the end of the arm Z of the lever H, and its upper end is rearwardly inclined, so that if necessary it may have a drawing efiect upon the coupling-link.

Within the recess B of the car-coupler is a long rectangular sleeve J, which fits loosely therein, and is provided with a shoulder h, which fits a corresponding shoulder t'upon the bottom of the recess B, and holds the sleeve and slide-rod K within it in the forward partof the coupler. The slide-rod K is movable longitudinally in the sleeve J, is held forward in said sleeve by the spiral spring j, one end of which bears against the inner end of the slide-rod and the other against the end of the sleeve, and is retained in said sleeve by the arm 2 of the lever H, which projects upwardly through a recess Z of the draw-head, through slots m in the sleeve J, and through a slot to in the slide-rod K. The outer end of the slide-rod K is provided with a depending tongue K, which fits a correspondin g groove in the outer end of the sleeve J, and the rear end of which is inclined, as shown, so that when the rod K is pushed inwardly the incline of the tongue K, acting upon the shoulder i, will raise the slide-rod K and the sleeve J, so that the shoulder h of the sleeve will clear the shoulder 71 and allow the sleeve and rod to slide back into the recess B of the coupling A.

The pronged lever H, having the arms 1 and 2, which project forwardly through the pin E and upwardly through the sleeve J and slide-rod K, as described, is also provided with rearwardly-extending arms 3 and at, one of which, the arm 3, is connected with the main spring L and the other 4 with a chain M, which is connected with a lever at the side or top of the car (not shown) in any suitable manner. The lever H is pivoted between the depending lugs A by a pin 19, which passes through the lever at the intersection of its various arms. The main spring L is bent, as shown. Its upper end is suitably attached to the coupler-frame or car-bottom, and its lower end is bent over the arm 3 of the lever H, so that when the shoulder h of the sleeve J, is released from the shoulder i in the bottom of the recess 13 the lever H will turn upon the pin 1), thus throwing the arm 2 inwardly and forcing the sleeve J and slide-rod K back into the recess B and throwing the arm 1 upwardly and forcing the pin E across the recess B, so as to engage a link that may be inserted therein. It is evident that a spiral spring may be substituted for the strapspring L without changing the nature of the operation. When the pin E is raised by the action of the spring L, the guide-rod F will swing inwardly, the spring (1 will follow the pin up the slot f, and the end of the .arm 1 will engage the upper prolongation F of the guide-rod F, and so hold the guide-rod in the position shown in Fig. 4c. The chain M may connect over suitable pulleys with a lever at the sides, end, or top of the car, and should be so connected that sufficient power may be applied to counteract the force ofv the spring L, raise the arm 3 and spring L into the position' shown in Fig. 4-, allow the pin E to drop into the position shown in Fig. 1 and uncouple the car and allow the shoulder h of the sleeve J to drop over the shoulder 2' and so hold the parts in position.

The coupling operates as follows: When two cars come together, a coupling-link will enter the mouth 0 of the coupler, either with or without the aid of the guide-rod F, and strike the outer end of the slide-rod K, forcing it into the sleeve J and causing the incline of the tongue K to travel over the shoulder '5 in the bottom of the recess 13, thus rais ing the rod K and sleeve J and releasing the shoulder h of the sleeve from the shoulder i aforesaid, the spring L, acting upon the arm 3 of the lever II, will then turn the lever upon the pin 19 and force the pin E upwardly through the coupling-link in the manner already described. NVhen the cars are to be shunted in a yardthat is, are to be pushed about without coupling-the coupler may be set by means of the lever attached to the chain M, so that the pin E will drop just below the recess B, and the sleeve J and sliderod K will be pushed but little forward, so that they will not be reached by the coupling-link. The coupler will thus be temporarily inoperative.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car-coupler consisting, essentially, of a draw-head having a flaring mouth and a longitudinal recess extending rearwardly from the mouth, a vertical tubular recess extending from top to bottom of the frame near the mouth thereof, a coupling-pin vertically movable in said vertical recess, a sleeve with asliderod therein adapted to move in said longitudinal recess, and a spring-actuated pronged lever pivoted below the frame, one arm of which projects through a recess of the draw-head and engages the sleeve and slide-rod therein,

and another arm of which engages the lower end of the coupling-pin through a slot in the draw-head,whereby, by turning sa1d lever, the

sleeve and slide-rod may be moved in the longitudinal recess and the coupling-pin in the vertical recess of the coupling frame, substantially as described.

2. A draw-head having a lower projection near its mouth and a vertical pin-aperture extending therethrough and adapted to receive a coupling-pin therein and having said recess closed at the top by a removable plug or cover, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head having a longitudinal and avertical recess, of a sleeve adapted to slide in the longitudinal recess, a coupling-pin adapted to move, in the vertical recess, and a springactuated forked lever engaging with one arm the said sleeve and with another arm the coupling-pin, substantially as shown and de scribed.

1. In a car-coupler, the combinatiomwith a draw-head provided with a longitudinal recess having a shoulder 1 of the sleeve J, the rod K, having the incline h, and the springactuated lever H, engaging said sleeve and rod, substantially as shown and described.

5. A car-coupler consisting, essentially, of a draw-head having a flaring mouth C, longitudinal recess B, and shoulder 2', and pin-aperture D therein, the coupling-pin E, adapted to move in said pin-aperture, a guide-rod F, pivoted below the mouth 0 and having means, as spring d, for holding it in extended position, the sliding sleeve J, having slide-rod K therein and a shoulder h to engage the shoulder iand hold the coupler in uncoupled position, and the four-armed lever H, pivoted to the lower part of the coupler-frame, having means, as spring L and chain M, to actuate the same, and having an arm, as 1, projecting through a slot in the draw-head to engage the sleeve J and slide-rod K, and an arm extending through a slot in the wall of the tubular projection D into aperture D to engage the coupling-pin E, whereby by turning said lever it will actuate the sleeve J, slide-rod K, and pin E, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the draw-head A, of the guide-rod F, pivoted below the mouth thereof, and having means, as spring d and coupling-pin E, to hold it in extended position, and means, as prolonged upper end F and arm 1 of spring-actuated lever H, to hold it inwardly, substantially as described.

7. In a car-coupler, the pin E, adapted to move vertically in the draw-head, having its upper end rearwardly inclined so as to draw a coupling-link, and its lower end provided with a horizontal slot 9 to receive the end of the arm of alever, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the draw-head A, having longitudinal recess B, vertical pinaperture D, and recess Z therein, and the pin E, adapted to move in the aperture D, of the sleeve J and slide-rod K therein, said sleeve having a shoulder h to engage a shoulder of the draw-head, and said slide-rod having an inclined tongue K, to engage shoulder L and release said shoulders h and i from engagement, the pronged lever H, pivoted below said draw-head, having arms 1 and 2 to engage the sleeve J, slide-rod K, and pin E,

and the spring L, attached to an arm 3 of the lever H and adapted to actuate said lever and coupler parts, substantially as described. 9. The combination, with the frame A and sleeve J, having means, as shown, for moving it in the recess B, and having a shoulder h 35 to engage the shoulderi of the coupler-frame,

of the slide-rod K, adapted to slide in said sleeve, having means, as spring j, for pressing it forward in said sleeve, and having a depending tongue K, with an inclined rear 4c edge adapted to engage the shoulder i of the couplerframe and raise said rod and sleeve in the recess B, substantially as shown, and for the purpose described.

10. The combination, with the lever I-Lpiv- 45 oted to the lower side of the coupler-frame and having arms 1 and 2 to engage the coupler parts, as described and an arm 4 for connection with a suitable operating-lever, of

the spring L, having one end attached to the 5 I arm of the lever H and the other end to the lower face of the draw-head, and adapted by pressure to turn the lever H and actuate the coupler parts, substantially as shown and described.

AARON LO UGI-IEED. 

